Naruto and NINKŪ-忍空- to Get a 4-Episode Anime Crossover

New York Comic Con 2026 delivered one of those announcements we never expected even in our wildest dreams: Naruto and NINKŪ-忍空- are getting a 4-episode anime crossover. It was revealed during the "NARUTO: What's Next?" panel, held on October 10 in the Big Apple.

The series will be titled NARUTO-火影忍者-×NINKŪ-忍空- and will be supervised by both original creators: Masashi Kishimoto and Kōji Kiriyama. That's no small detail, since Kishimoto has always said that without NINKŪ, Naruto wouldn't exist.

Team 7 Gets Lost in Another World

The story kicks off with a routine mission: Kakashi assigns Team 7 a task, but since he has other matters to attend to, he names Naruto acting captain. The blonde takes it with his usual enthusiasm, though things go sideways when the trio ends up in a parallel world.

There they run into Fuusuke, the protagonist of NINKŪ, a frog-faced boy who masters the Ninkū style of ninja arts. The premise brings the classic-era Team 7 together with the characters from Kiriyama's work in a completely new adventure.

Directing duties fall to Noriyuki Abe, who previously directed the NINKŪ anime as well as Boruto: Naruto Next Generations. Tetsuya Nishio returns on character design, having worked on both franchises. In short, the team knows both worlds like the back of their hand.

A Dream Come True for Kishimoto

Kishimoto made it clear on stage: "I wanted to see the continuation of NINKŪ, and that's why I created Naruto." He also confessed that Fuusuke is, in a way, Naruto's hidden master. "I've finally been able to create the true sequel," he summed up.

Promotional poster for the Naruto and NINKŪ-忍空- anime crossover.collabo-cafe.com

Kiriyama, for his part, was thrilled to see the NINKŪ characters reunite with the original voice cast nearly 30 years after its premiere. "It's a miracle," he said, and thanked Kishimoto for understanding his work so well.

Naruto's voice actress, Junko Takeuchi, also took part in the panel. She admitted that working with Sasuke and Sakura again in the classic era feels "exciting" and that this period, with Sasuke as an ally, is very special to her.

PROJECT RASENGAN and Much More

The crossover wasn't the only announcement. Shueisha unveiled PROJECT RASENGAN, a global plan to expand Naruto across manga, anime, video games, and cards over the coming years. The panel featured a trailer and an image of Naruto unleashing his most iconic technique.

Promotional image for PROJECT RASENGAN showing Naruto unleashing an attack.collabo-cafe.com

Part of that project is the Naruto Card Game, which will launch worldwide in June 2027. Bandai has already shown off some cards and an animated video by Studio Pierrot. A global release for Naruto MOBILE was also confirmed, though without a specific date.

The panel's cherry on top was a teaser for a new manga by Kishimoto. There's no word on where or when it will be published, but the room erupted. Naruto's birthday was celebrated with 3,000 fans and a massive photo op featuring his iconic hat.

Fans celebrate Naruto's birthday during the NYCC 2026 panel.collabo-cafe.com

For now, the anime crossover has no release date or confirmed platform. All we have is the trailer and the promotional poster. The next stop will be Jump Festa 2027, on December 19 and 20, where we expect more details on this universe that keeps expanding at full speed.